Sea-sounding.



No. 848,092. PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907. A, F. BELLS.

SEA SOUNDING.

APPLICATION TILED FEB.23, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

witnesses WAW PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907. A- F. BELLS.

SEA SOUNDING.

APPLICATION FILED 313.23, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 2.

ALBERT F. EELLS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SEA-SOUNDING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMarch 26, 1907.

Application filed February 23, 1907. Serial No. 358,924.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. EELLs, a

citizen of the United St ates, residing at Bosprovements inSea-Sounding, of which the followingisa specification.

The present invention has for its objects, among others, to providesimple and efficient means. for determining the depth of the waterbetween the ships keel and the bottom of the body of water through whichthe ship is passing and to automatically and electrically indicate thesame in the pilot-house or other desired point on board the vessel.

The invention com rises, broadly, a device for determining t 1e depth ofthe Water by producing a sound within the submerged portion of thevessel, which sound passes through the material of the vessel and entersthe surrounding water and is received back again into the vessel throughthe material of r the latter and through a transmitter in contact withthe submerged portion of the vessel and thence by electric wires to areceiver, the volume of the sound being indicated by suitableinstrument, as a galvanometer. I ma y sometimes provide a signal. eithervisual or audible, actuated by the galvanometer to give notice when thewater is of only a predetermined depth.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear,and the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by theappended claims.

The invention in its preferred form is clearly illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a front view of avessel with the forward body in vertical section. Fig. 2 is an enlargedcross-section of the pilothouse shown in Fig. 1 and showing more clearlythe receiving and indicating mechanism.

l have found by experiment that sound produced within a vessel is veryindistinct in deep waters, but grows louder as the water grows moreshoal, and that by means of a transmitter secured to the frame or shellof the vessel within its submerged portion this sound is receivable andcan be conveyed to the pilot-house, where by the volume of the sound thedepth of the water may be determined and by a galvanometer or othersuitable instrument the depth can be indicated. The present inventioncontemplates the broad embodiment of this idea.

Referring to the drawings, S designates the vessel, and E thepilot-house thereof.

B is a sound-producing device, as an electric hammer of knownconstruction, actuated in the usual way, the wires being shown as brokenoff. This serves to make a continuous sound within the submerged portionof the vessel. This sound travels through the wall of the vessel'intothe surrounding water, possibly to the bottom of the sea, and is echeodback through the wall of the ship and 1s recelved by a transmitter A,which is secured to the frame or shell of the vessel in any suitablemanner and is preferably hermetically sealed to exclude moisture and toprevent injury to the same by condensation. This transmitter isconnected by wires through the battery C and the magnet shown to thereceiver D. which may be an ordinary telephone-receiver.

G is a suitable instrument, as a galvanometer suited to the purpose,properly connected, and which serves to indicate the volume of thesoundthe shallower the water the louuder the sound.

I may sometimes provide a signal, as a bell I, electrically connectedand adapted to be set in operation by the pointer F of the galvanometerstriking a contact H, which may be set at any desired point, so thatwhen the water reaches a predetermined minimum depth the finger strikingthis contact .will complete an electric circuit and sound the alarm. Alight maybe substituted for the hell, or both may be employed, one forday and the other for night.

One or more sounders and sound-receiving devices may be employed andalso more than one receiver, and the transmitter employed is preferablyone having a solid-back with a granular carbon disk.

What is claimed as new is- 1. The method of determining the depth ofwater which consists in generating soundwaves, receiving them on anelectric transmitter and then noting the loudness to determine thedepth.

2. The method of determining the depth of water, which consists ingenerating sound- Waves, receiving the same on an electric transmitter,and automatically indicating the de th.

3. he method of determining the depth ICE .and automatically actuating asignal when a predetermined minimum depth has been reached.

4. A sea-sounding apparatus comprising means for generating sound Wavesand means for electrically noting the volume of the sound to determinethe depth of Water.

5. A sea-sounding apparatus comprising a vessel, means therein forgenerating sound- Waves, a hermetically sealed electric transmitterWithin the submerged portion of said vessel and means for noting throughsaid transmitter the volume of the sound. and the depth of the Water.

6. A sea-sounding apparatus comprising therein means for electricallygenerating sound-waves, an electric transmitter aflixed to a submergedportion of said vessel, means 1 for electricallyindicating the depth andfor sounding an alarm.

7. A sea-sounding apparatus comprising a l vessel, means therein forgenerating soundwaves, a hermetically-sealed transmittersecured Withinthe submerged portion of said vessel, a receiver electrically connectedwith said transmitter, and means for automatically indicating thedeptlrof the Water by volume of sound.

8. A vessel, a hermetically-sealed electric transmitter secured Withinand directly in contact with the submerged portion of said vessel and areceiver electrically connected with said transmitter.

Signed by meat Washington, District of Columbiafthis 23d day ofFebruary, 1907.

ALBERT F. BELLS.

Witnesses:

W. ltEEs EDELEN, A. W. HART.

